We have all heard countless sermons on praying for the
unsaved, praying for our country when it is on the wrong track, praying for
dishonest politicians, praying for wrongs to be righted, praying for almost
everything that impacts us in a negative manner. But, how many sermons have we
heard on praying for the saved; praying for the godly who are living normal
lives going quietly about their work and doing the right things? I, for one,
have never heard a single sermon on this topic.
We tend to pray for unsaved family members and acquaintances
while ignoring those who are faithful Christians. It is a little like giving
all of the attention to the bad child while the other obedient children are
ignored. We do, of course, pray for the saved when they are in danger—missionaries
serving in dangerous areas, for instance. We also pray for the saved when they
become ill or have a terrible accident that threatens their lives. Yet, we
rarely pray for them with the same level of concern and the same fervor that we
pray for the unsaved. Likewise, we may spend years praying for someone to
accept Christ as his/her savior and then stop praying when they do.
Why is it important to pray for the saved? It is important because those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ are the backbone of this nation. The Bible says, “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-15) This is an interesting scripture because the Bible does not say that if there are enough people who are called by his name; it says that God’s healing of our land depends on the prayers and actions of the saved and their willingness to turn from their sins and seek God.
Why is it important to pray for the saved? It is important because those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ are the backbone of this nation. The Bible says, “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-15) This is an interesting scripture because the Bible does not say that if there are enough people who are called by his name; it says that God’s healing of our land depends on the prayers and actions of the saved and their willingness to turn from their sins and seek God.
We should, of course, always pray for the unsaved, but after they accept Jesus we need to continue to pray for them. We should pray daily that every Christian in this world will be strengthened and filled with faith. We should pray that they will be bold in their witness and bold in their prayer lives. We should be pray that our fellow Christians will be wise and unshakable in their resolve to follow Jesus.
God has always accomplished great things using a few faithful people. When you pray for the unsaved, remember to pray for those who are fighting the greatest battles of our time on their knees. And remember, as long as God’s people are willing to seek Him and turn away from sin, He will hear us and heal our land.
Joyce Swann is a nationally-known author and speaker. Her own story of teaching her ten children from the first grade through master’s degrees before their seventeenth birthdays is retold in her book, Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother. Her newest novel, The Warrior, is available on Kindle and in paperback. For more information visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net/ or like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/frontier2000mediagroup
No comments:
Post a Comment